Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The local authority's job is to provide long-term, stable housing for people, and HAP is far more stable on a five or ten-year contract than rent supplement where people are normally only on an annual contract. They are obviously writing out to them offering to put them on a long-term footing, but there is no implicit threat that if they do not, it will affect their rent supplement. If the Deputy says there is an implicit threat, then I need a copy of that letter because the Department is demand led and if somebody has a need, we fill that need.